How We Make D&D Battle Maps at Black Lantern Forge

Every map pack we release starts with a question we ask before a single asset is placed: what does this region feel like to travel through? Not what does the first map look like, not what biome are we in, but what is the experience of moving from the edge of this place deeper into it over the course of a full campaign arc. That question shapes every decision that follows, from the palette we lock before drawing to the order the maps appear in the pack.

We get asked fairly often how the maps are actually made. This is a full answer. It covers the whole process from regional concept through pack structure, the specific decisions we make at each stage, and the reasons behind them. If you have ever wondered why the maps look the way they do, or why packs are structured the way they are, this is the piece that explains it.

Why Does Pack Structure Come Before Individual Maps?

Most map collections are assembled after the fact: a creator makes maps they like, groups the ones that look similar, and calls it a pack. You can tell these apart from intentionally designed packs at the table. The maps technically belong to the same biome but the lighting shifts between entries, the foliage density changes without environmental logic, and the paths between maps do not create a sense of moving through a coherent place.

We design packs as regions first. Before any individual map exists, we define the full arc of the pack: where it starts geographically, where it ends, and what the environmental progression looks like between those two points. A forest pack might start at a forest road on the edge of cultivated land and end at a corrupted grove deep in old-growth territory. Every map in between is a step along that journey. The player at the table who moves through the pack in order should feel like they are going somewhere, not like they are flipping through a catalog.

This means the pack structure is the first deliverable in our process, not the last. We do not start drawing until we know how many maps the pack contains, what terrain each map covers, and what role each map plays in the progression.

What Does the Style Lock Stage Actually Define?

Once the regional concept is set, we lock the style before drawing a single asset. The style lock is an internal document that defines every visual parameter that must stay consistent across all maps in the pack. If any parameter is not locked, it drifts between maps and the pack loses visual coherence.

The forbidden elements list is the parameter most people overlook and the one that does the most work. Every pack has things it explicitly cannot contain: glowing magical runes in a pack meant to feel grounded and physical, sci-fi or anachronistic objects, specific color families that would break the palette, or environmental features from a different biome that would read as a continuity error. Defining what is excluded is as important as defining what is included, because visual coherence is as much about what does not appear as what does.

How Is Each Individual Map Designed?

Each map in the pack is assigned a terrain role and an encounter function before layout begins. The terrain role is what the map is physically: a ford crossing, a ruined watchtower, a dense canopy clearing. The encounter function is what kind of gameplay it supports: a rescue scenario, a stealth approach, a multi-wave defense, an exploration puzzle. These two parameters together define the composition requirements before a single brush stroke is placed.

Composition starts with the path logic. Where does a creature or character enter this map, and where are the natural exit points? The path between entry and exit is the encounter spine. Every other element in the map is placed in relation to that spine: obstacles that force the party off the direct path, cover positions that reward characters who move laterally, hazards that make the direct path more costly than it appears. A map without clear path logic tends to produce encounters where the party simply charges forward, because there is nothing to react to spatially.

Once path logic is established, we place the dominant feature. Every map has one element that orients both sides of the encounter: the bonfire at the clearing's center, the collapsed bridge section everyone has to navigate around, the raised platform that controls sightlines across the whole space. This feature is placed off-center intentionally. A centered dominant feature produces symmetric encounters. An off-center feature creates natural asymmetry between approaching from different directions, which produces more interesting tactical decisions.

What Does the Detail Pass Involve?

After composition and dominant feature placement, the map goes through a detail pass. This is where the environmental texture that makes a map feel lived-in gets added: the mud variation along the path edges, the roots breaking through the stone floor, the scattered debris at the base of a ruined wall, the shallow water collecting in low ground. None of these details serve a direct gameplay function. All of them serve the atmospheric function that makes the map feel like a real place rather than an encounter backdrop.

The detail pass has a constraint: no detail that adds visual noise without adding environmental logic. A pile of random objects in the center of a room is clutter. A specific pile of debris near a collapsed wall section that implies how the wall came down is detail. Fallen leaves collected in the sheltered angle of a ruin tell a story about how long the structure has been abandoned. Random scattered objects tell no story and make the map harder to read at the table.

We also run a readability check at the end of the detail pass. We zoom the map out to the size it would appear at full-screen VTT view and verify that terrain differentiation is still clear: open ground reads as open, difficult terrain reads as different from open, water reads as water. Detail work that obscures terrain readability at table scale gets pulled back. The map has to be usable at every zoom level a DM might use in a session, not just beautiful at 100 percent zoom.

"Beautiful at full zoom and unreadable at table scale is not a finished map. A finished map holds up at every zoom level a player will actually use during a session."

How Does the Export Process Work?

Every map exports in four versions: gridded at full resolution, gridless at full resolution, a compressed gridless for VTTs that have file size limits, and a print-optimized version at the correct DPI for 1-inch-per-square output. The gridless version is the primary deliverable for VTT use because every major VTT (Roll20, Foundry, Owlbear Rodeo) applies its own grid overlay and baked grids conflict with those overlays at any zoom level other than the exact pixel count the grid was designed for.

Resolution targets: 4K minimum on the shortest side (4096 pixels), with most maps in current packs exporting at 4200x4200 or larger to meet the 140-pixels-per-square standard on a 30x30 grid. Maps with larger grid counts (40x40 boss arenas) export at higher total pixel counts to maintain the per-square resolution. File format is PNG for all primary deliverables. JPEG versions are provided in the compressed pack as a secondary option for DMs with strict VTT storage limits, but PNG is always included.

Pack delivery is instant digital download. No shipping, no wait, no assembly. The files arrive in a structured folder with clear naming conventions so DMs can sort by terrain type or map number without opening each file individually.

What Makes a Map Feel Like It Belongs in a Pack?

This is the question we spend the most time on during review before a pack releases. Individual map quality is necessary but not sufficient. A pack where every map is individually excellent but visually disconnected reads as a product library at the table, not as a place. The test we use is simple: if you laid out all the maps in a pack side by side on a table, would a stranger immediately understand that they are all from the same region? If the answer is not obvious yes, the pack is not done.

The specific variables that create visual DNA across a pack are more granular than palette and lighting. The angle at which trees are rendered from above. The specific way path edges feather into surrounding terrain. The weight of shadow cast by vertical structures. The color of water in this specific region (not water generally, but water in this pack's world). These micro-decisions accumulate into the visual texture that makes a pack feel handcrafted rather than assembled.

All Black Lantern Forge map packs go through a final side-by-side review before release. Any map that reads as visually disconnected from the rest of the pack goes back for revision, regardless of individual quality. The pack ships when the region feels like a region.

Frequently Asked Questions

What software is used to make the maps?

The maps are produced using a combination of dedicated map-making software and digital painting tools. The specific software choices matter less than the process: composition and path logic are defined before software is opened, and the style lock parameters constrain the tool choices to what can produce the required visual output. We prioritize process over tooling because tooling changes and the process stays consistent.

How long does it take to make one map?

A single map in a pack takes between 6 and 18 hours depending on terrain complexity and detail density. Outdoor wilderness maps with complex foliage and water features run longer than interior dungeon maps with simpler texture requirements. The style lock stage at the start of a pack amortizes some of this time across the whole pack: once the asset library for a pack is built, later maps in the pack produce faster than earlier ones because the foundational elements are already established.

How many maps are in a typical pack?

Most packs contain 10 to 20 maps. The count is determined by the regional concept: a small location like a dungeon complex might be 10 maps. A large wilderness region that covers multiple terrain types and a full environmental progression might run 15 to 20. We do not pad packs to hit a number. Every map in a pack earns its place by covering a distinct terrain role that is not already served by another map in the same pack.

Are the maps AI generated?

No. Every map is hand-designed from a deliberate layout and detail pass. The composition decisions, path logic, feature placement, and detail work are all made by a human working from the pack's style lock and terrain brief. We care about this distinction because AI-generated maps produce specific failure modes that matter for tabletop use: inconsistent scale, accidental perspective tilts, terrain elements that look atmospheric but are spatially ambiguous, and visual anomalies that confuse players trying to navigate the space. A hand-designed map is built to be played on, not just looked at.

Can the maps be used in commercial campaigns or published adventures?

Usage rights vary by product. Most Black Lantern Forge maps are licensed for personal use, including streaming and recorded sessions. Commercial publishing rights for including maps in paid adventures or published products require a separate commercial license. Check the license terms included with your download or reach out directly for commercial licensing inquiries.

Why do packs include both gridded and gridless versions?

Gridded versions are for print use and for DMs who prefer a baked-in grid for in-person play without a VTT. Gridless versions are for VTT use because every major platform applies its own grid overlay, and a baked-in grid conflicts with that overlay at any zoom level other than the exact intended scale. Using the gridless version in your VTT gives you precise grid alignment at any zoom level and any token size your session requires.

How do I know which pack is right for my campaign?

Match the pack's regional concept to your campaign's current arc. A pack built around a corrupted forest progression works for campaigns moving through a blighted wilderness. A dungeon complex pack works for a delve campaign. The pack descriptions include the full terrain progression so you can confirm the maps cover what your campaign needs before purchasing. If your campaign requires a location that does not exist in any current pack, the custom commission process is built for exactly that situation.